China Turns Away Nvidia H200 Despite US Export Approval
China is preparing to limit access to Nvidia’s advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips, even after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would allow the chips to be exported to approved customers in China under national security conditions.
The Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter, that Beijing is set to put restrictions around who can buy the H200 and that buyers would likely have to go through an approval process.
The shift matters because it shows that U.S. export approval does not automatically translate into sales in the Chinese market. China has not publicly accepted or rejected the H200 since the U.S. policy change, and the raw reports note that China previously shunned the less capable H20 chip.
Regulatory discussions in Beijing are taking place as China pushes for self-sufficiency in semiconductor production. White House AI czar David Sacks, citing news reports, said China has “figured out” the U.S. strategy behind allowing H200 purchases and is rejecting the chip in favor of domestically developed semiconductors.
On the U.S. side, Trump said Nvidia would be able to ship H200 chips to “approved customers” in China “under conditions that allow for continued strong National Security.” Separate mentions in the raw material also describe a 25% U.S. government surcharge tied to those sales.
Even with the policy change, the H200 and H100 models are still described as chips that require a special license to ship to China under current controls, underscoring how tightly managed AI hardware trade has become.
For trucking and freight, the bigger takeaway is that semiconductor policy is now directly affecting what equipment moves across ports, air hubs, and distribution centers. When high-value electronics like advanced chips face added approvals, licensing, or market resistance, it can change shipping volumes and the steadiness of tech-related freight lanes—especially those tied to international routes and time-sensitive cargo.